Combined liquid and bulk filling machine



Feb. 13, 1923. 1,445,297 c. F. COLBERT COMBINED LIQUID AND BULK FILLING MACHINE Fil 1919 5 sheets-sheet 1 37 F291. 55

Eda, 13, 1923. 1,445,297 c. F. COLBERT COMBINED LIQUID AN-D BULK FILLING MACHINE Filed Nov. 21, 1919 5 sheets-sheet 2 Maw/$0M llF- Elnlhefl Z my Feb. 13, 1923.

C. F. COLBERT COMBINED LIQUID AND BULK FILLING MACHINE Filed Nov. 21, 1919 5 sheets-sheet 5 azz Feb. 13, 1923. 11,445,27 c. F. COLBERT COMBINED LIQUID AND BULK FILLING MACHINE Filed Nov. 21, 1919 5 sheets-sheet 4 ELF. I: 01 EFT Feb. 13, 1923. 1,445,297 c. F. COLBERT COMBINED LIQUID AND BULK FILLING MACHINE Filed Nov. 21, 1919 5 sheets-sheet 5 rreo CLARENCE F. COLBERT, OF MOBILE, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR '10 HENRY SCARBOROUGH, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

COMBINED LIQUID AND BULK FILLING MACHINE.

Application filed November 21, 1919. Serial No. 339,660,

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CLARENCE F. Connen'r, a citizen of .the United States, and resident of Mobile, in the county of Mobile and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined 'Liquid and Bulk Filling Machines; and I do hereby declare that the fol lowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in machines for filling cans or other receptacles with measured quantities of materiahthe machine being more particularly of that type adapted to supply both fluid and semi-fluid material. commonly known as the bulk and the brine.

It is in general'theobject of my invention to simplify and otherwise improve the structure of machines of this character, particularly with respect to increasing the compactness thereof to provide an economy of floor space, and increasing the efficiency and convenience of operation thereof.

A more detailed object resides in the provision of a novel arrangement for adjusting the machine for operation on different sizes of cans.

A still further object is to improve the measuring valve mechanism of the machine, particularly with respect to the provision of a stationary cut-off valve plate which is adapted to close the measuring chambers as said chambers move with respect thereto.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view, which will be apparent as the description proceeds, my invention re sides in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter more particularly described and defined by the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a vertical longitudinal sectional v ew through a combined briner and bulk fi ving machine. embodying my invention, the plane of this section being indicated by the line 1 1 of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a. transverse sectional View through the machine on a plane indicatedby the line 2-2 of Figure 1, showing the can supporting table and associated mechanism in plan.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view through 'the machine on a plane indicated by the l1ne 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view of the machine on a plane indicated by the lmef1.4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a view partly in section and partly in d agrammatic outline, showing various portions of the machine located under the table and Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view looking upward from the line 66 of Figure 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, 1n the present embodiment of my invention I provide a hollow base member 1()'hav1ng its upper portion enlarged at 11 in pan shape, said base member beingpro vided with a pair of central upper and lower bearings 12 and 12 respectively for mountlng a vertical shaft 13 about which is disposed the filler head structure. A bushing sleeve 14 is disposed in the upper bearing 12 and receives the shaft, said sleeve being extended above the bearing whereby to provide a journal for, the central depending bearing sleeve 15 of a can supporting table 16 which is thus rotatably mounted in the pan-shaped enlargement 11 of the base casting.

This table 16 is driven from a vertical shaft 17 journaled in a bearing bracket 18 at one side of the base casting, said shaft extending through the enlargement 11 of the base casting and carrying a gear pinion 19 meshing with an annular seriesof gear teeth 20 at the periphery of the table.

The teeth 20 are below the top surface of the table as clearly seen in Figure 1. A horizontal shaft 21 is also journaled in the bracket 18 and is connected by the intermeshing beveled gears 22 with the shaft 17 Said shaft 21carries fixed and idle pulleys 23 and 24 respectively for the reciprocation of a drive belt 25, and this belt is shifted from one pulley to the other by a shifter bar 26 carrying arms 27 engageable with the belt, and provided with a handle 28 at its other end.. Provision is made for also actuating the shifter bar from any point adjacent the machine, and thus the inner end of the shifter bar is provided with a series of gear teeth meshing with a pinion 29 mounted on a stub shaft 30 journaled in the bracket 18, said stub shaft pinion also meshing with the teeth of an arcuate gear rack 32 to the ends of which are secured the ends of an arcuate handle bar 33 extending around the base casting, said. bar preferably comprising a pipe casting, andbeing guided and supported by grooved rollers 34 carried by arms 35 outstanding from the base casting.

Provision" is thus made for readily starting and stopping rotation of the can supporting table 16, and the filler head mechanism is rotated by direct connection with this table, the head supporting shaft 13 be ing stationary in the present structure, and being heldagainst rotation by a screw 36 threaded in the base casting and engaged in a longitudinal keyway in the shaft, said shaft being vertically slidable toprocure adjustment of the filler head as will be later described.

The filler head comprises an annular bulk material chamber A formed by an outer cylindrical wall 37 and an inner wall 38 having an upper cylindrical portion and an intermediate frusto-conical portion, the lower portions of both walls merging into an annular series. of, in the presentinstance six, discharge necks 39, the lower ends of said discharge necks being secured to a horizontal wall or partition 40 provided with 'a,central upstanding sleeve 41 mounted on the shaft 13, said partition seating on a collar 42 secured on the shaft, a second collar 43 being also disposed on the shaft above the sleeve 41. The space interiorly of the chamber A and discharge necks 39 forms a liquid material receptacle B having the partition 40 as its bottom. The partition 40 carries a series of upper bulk measuring chamber sections 44 and a series of, liquid measuring cylinders 45, each of said measuring chamber sections and the corresponding liquid measuring cylinder being preferably in the form of a single casting having an upper sector-shaped plate portion 46 secured to the partition 40 by bolts 47. A series of lower measuring chamber sections 48 are telescopically' engageable in the sections 44, said lower sections being carried by a lower head plate 49 which is supported on a plurality of posts 50 upstanding from the table 16 inwardly of the can receiving peripheral por-- tion thereof. The lower portions of the lower chamber sections 48 are slightly reduced to form discharge necks and these necks are apertured for communication with fluidchambers 51 disposed thereabout, each of said fluid chambers having an upwardly extending pipe section 52 in telescopic engagement with a pipe section 53 depending from the corresponding liquid measuring chamber 45.

Thus, the size of said measuring sections may be varied for different quantities of material, and this adjustment is procured in the present structure by slidably mounting'the lower portions of the posts 50 in sleeves 54 depending from the can table 16, worm gears 55 being threaded on the lower ends of the posts'and confined between the lower ends of the sleeves 54 and apertured bracket arms 56 projecting from the bearing sleeve 15 of the table. These gears are meshed with worms 57 fixed on the ends of a shaft 58 journaledin a lateral bearing enlargement of the sleeve 15, and the ends of the shaft 58 are recessed for engagement with. a suitable rotating tool insertible through an opening 59 in the side of the base member, thus providing for raising and lowering the lower head plate 49 and lower chamber sections 48 carried thereby, this adjustment being procured-independently of adjustment of the upper section of the head mechanism, which is effected by sliding the shaft 13 vertically. This vertical sliding movement of the shaft 13 is procured by a gear Wheel 60 journaled in the lower portion of the base member and meshing with a longitudinal series of rack teeth on the lower portion of the shaft, said gear wheel also meshing with a worm 61 carried on a shaft 62 which extends outwardly of the base ,member and carries a hand-wheel 63.

I provide valve mechanisms for controlling flow of fluid through the bulk measuring chambers and through the liquid measuring cylinders which are not affected by the aforementioned adjustments. Thus, the upper measuring chamber sections 44 are provided at their tops with circumferential slits for receiving an arcuate valve plate 64 which is adapted to extend through a major portion of the annular path of movement of the bulk measuring chambers, and to consequently shut off flow of material from the discharge mechanisms 39 into the measuring chambers during movement of the measuring chambers under said valve plate, the valve plate being held against rotative movement with the filler head structure by means of posts 65 which rise from the rim port on of the base band 11 and which are slidably passed through the valve plate and through an arcuate bar 66 secured on the outer side portion of saidplate and recessed to receive an out-turned annular flange 67 which surrounds the discharge necks 39, whereby the valve plate is properly held for rotation of the filler head with respect thereto, said plate having what may be termed a floating connection'with the posts 65. The lower ends of the bulk measuring chambers are closed, when the measuring chambers move from the upper valve plate 64, by valve plate enlargements 68 at the outer ends of a series of intermediately pivoted levers 68 which extend substantially radially inward from the measuring chambers, the plate portions 68 being movable through circumferential slots formed in the lower measuring chamber sections 48 immediately above the head plate 49. The levers are splined on pivot shafts 69 which are journaled in the plate 49 and in the bottoms of the respective liquid measuring chambers 45, said levers being held adjacent the plate 49 by bracket members 70 secured to the plate and embracing the shaft immediately above the levers. The inner ends of the levers carry rollers 71 engageable with a closing cam 7 2 splined on the main stationary shaft 13, said cam being held adjacent the plate 49 for movement therewith upon vertical adjustment of the plate by adepending sleeve portion 73 extending through the plate. and carrying a collar .74 at the under side of the plate. The cam 72 is so formed as to engage the inner ends of the valve levers and swing them to closing position shortly before the respective measuring chambers move from under the stationary valve plate 64. The shafts 69. carry valve plates 75 at their upper ends within the liquid measuring cylinders 45, each of said valve plates being provided with an opening 76 adapted to register with and uncover the discharge pipe 53 upon movement of the corresponding valve levers to close the lower end of the corresponding measuring tank, and provided with an opening 77 adapted to uncover the lower end of an inlet duct 78 communicating with the reservoir B when the valve opening 76 is moved out of registry, thus providing for the measured intake and discharge of liquid with respect to the cylinder, the measurements of the liquid in the cylinder being rendered adjustable by a piston structure later to be described. The shafts 69 are resiliently urged downwardly to seat the valve plate 75 on the bottom of the cylinders, by springs 79 coiled on said shafts.

Adjustment of the measuring contents of the cylinders 45 independently of't'he other adjustments recited is afforded by pistons 80 slidable in the cylinders 45 and carried on the lower ends of tubular stems 81 which extend through packing glands 82 in the tops of the cylinders and are secured. at their upper ends to the arms of a spider 83 which is in turn carried by the lower end of'a sleeve 84 which is loosely mounted on the upper end of the shaft 13, said sleeve extending above the shaft and carrying a hand wheel 85. A shaft 86 is threaded in the upper portion of the sleeve 84 and adapted to seat on the upper end of the shaft 13, said shaft carrying a hand wheel 87 whereby it may be readily rotated and being engageable by aset screw 88 threaded in the sleeve 84 to hold the shaft against unde sired rotation. The piston carrying structure is thus suspended from the top of the shaft 13. and the pistons may be raisedor lowered in the measuring cylinders by turning the seating shaft 86, to vary the measuring volume of the cylinders, it being noted that the hollow stems 81 which carry the pistons serve also as air vents whereby to permit the cylinders to be readily emptied.

Cans are delivered onto the table by a substantially radial chute 89 and seat in peripheral recesses 90 of an annulus 91 mounted, in spaced relation above the table. The valve levers 68 are operated to opening position for the bulk measuring chambers by movement of the cans upon the table. To effect this action, an upstanding shaft 92 is journaled adjacent the periphery of the table and this shaft carries an angular arm 93 resiliently urged to project obtusely into the ath of cans on the table, preferably immediately adjacent the chute 89. The shaft also carries a gear segment 94 meshing with a gear segment 95 on'a shaft 96 upstandingadjacent the periphery of the table, said shaft 96 carrying a finger 97 at its upper end which is adapted to project into the path of movement of the outer ends of the valve levers 68. Thus, when a can moves past the rock arm 93, it will rock the shaft 94, and consequently swing the trip finger 97 of the ends of the corresponding valve lever 68, to swing said lever to opening position, and should a can fail to engage in a recess 90, the rock arm 93 will remain in inwardly swung position and the trip finger 97 will thus be disposed out of the path of the corresponding valve lever, which will move past the trip finger in closed position, thus preventing wastage of the material As the cans move on the table, they are lifted to a proper position with respect to the discharge necks of the measuring chambers by plungers 98 slidable through the table, said plungers carrying rollers 99 on their lower ends which engage the usual cam track 100 on the base member. To insure the proper retraction of these .plungers when the cans have been filled, to permit removal of the cans from the table, pins 101 extend radially inward from the lower portions of the plungers, said pins being engageable under an inclined trackway 102 located immediately in advance of the mechanism for removing the cans from the table, this mechanism comprising a guide plate 103 extending over the table adjacent the supply chute 89, said guide plate being adapted to deflect the filled cans onto an auxiliary table 104 or any other conveying means. As shown in Figure 2, the table 104 has peripheral teeth 105'in mesh with the teeth 20 of the table 16, whereby the table 104 is rotated.

Table 104 has a circularly faced member 105, against which the cans may be guided by plate 103, arm 105'" of member 105 operating to engage and advance the cams.

Summarizing now the general, operation of the machine, the cans are fed from the supply chute 89 onto the table 16 and into the annulus recesses 91 as said recesses move past the discharge end of the chute. The cans are raised by the plungers 98 immediately upon their engagement in the recesses and durin their movement past the arm 93, rock said arm to swing the finger 97 into the path of movement of the outer end of the corresponding valve lever 68 whereby the continued rotating movement of the structure rocks the lever to open the lower end of the measuring chamber and permit discharge of its contents into each can, the upper end of the measuring chamber having previously been closed by movement under the forward edge of the stationary valve plate 54, said forward edge being beveled as indicated in Figure 4 to facilitate its entrance into the upper slit of the measuring chamber, Figures 3 and 4 taken in conjunction giving the relative timing action of the valves. As the valve lever swings to open the lower end of the measuring chamber, the valve plate is simultaneously swung to close the discharge pipe section 53 of the corresponding l'iquid measuring chamber, and open the inlet duct 78. After the contents of the measuring chamber have been discharged, the valve lever is swung t'o closing position by engagement of the .inner end with the enlargement of the cam 72, and the liquid measuring cylinder is simultaneously opened to discharge its contents into the can, the passage of the liquid through the discharge neck of the bulk measurin chamber serving to flush the said neck and insure deposit of all of the material into the can. The machine may be readily adjusted as heretofore explained, fbr various shapes and capacities of cans and for various relative proportions of the bulk and liquid contents thereof.-

I have thus provided a comparatively simple combined bulk and liquid filling machine which is capable of full adjustment to meet all of the various conditions of operation ofmachines of this character, which occupies a minimum amount of fioor space, and which is capable of efficient operation at a relatively, high speed.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be appreciated that various changes and modifications of structure may be employed to meet difi'ering conditions of use, and that various phases of my invention may be em ployed independently without departing in any manner from the spirit of my invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A filling machine of the class described comprising a table for containers to be filled, a vertically movable shaft extending above the table, a rotary filler head disposed about mechanism.

said shaft and including measuring chambers having independently movable lower discharge portions, posts extending from the table and supporting said movable discharge portions, and means associated with said posts for independently vertically adjusting said discharge portions.

2. A filling machine of the .class described comprising a table for containers to be filled, a vertically movable shaft extending above the table. a rotary filler head disposed about said shaft and having measuring chambers and including vertically movable measure adjusting portions, posts extending from the table and supporting said adjusting portions of the measuring chamber, andmeans associated with said posts for independently vertically adjusting said measure adjusting portions of the head.

3. A filling machine of the class described comprising a rotating table for containers to be filled, a non-rotating vertically movable shaft extending'above the table, a filler head rotatably mounted on said shaft above the table and having measuring chambers including independently vertically movable measuring. portions, posts extending from the table and supporting said lower measuring portions, and means associated with said posts for vertically adjusting said lower head portion.

4. A filling machine of the class described comprising a rotating table, a non-rotating vertically movable shaft extending above the table, a filler head rotatably mounted on said shaft above the table and having measuring chambers including independently vertically movable lower measuring portions, posts extending from the table and supporting said lower measuring portions, a transverse shaft carried by the table, gear members threaded on the lower ends of the posts, and coacting gears on said transverse shaft for vertically adjusting the posts.

5. A filling machine of the class described comprising a rotating table, a non-rotating vertically movable shaft extending above the table, a rotary filler head rotatably mounted on said shaft above the table and. having measuring chambers including independently vertically movable lower measuring. portions, posts extending from the table and supporting said lower portion of the filler head, means associated With said posts for vertically adjusting said lower head portion, valve mechanism controlling flow of material with respect to the measuring chambers, and a cam member carried by the vertical shaft and engageable by portions of the valve mechanism for operating said valve 6. A filling machine of the classdescribed comprising a rotating table, a non-rotating vertically movablev shaft extending above the table, a filler head rotatably mounted on said shaft and including an independently movable measure adjusting portion, posts extending from the table and supporting said movable portion of the filler head, means associated withsaid posts for vertically adjusting said movable head portion, valve mechanism controlling discharge of material from the filler head, and a cam slidably mounted on said posts and engage able in the apertures of the discharge sections, and an out-turned annular flange on the filler'head in rotatable connection with the valve plate.

8. A filling machine including an annular rotary series of bulk measuring chambers, a common supply receptacle for said chambers, means for positioning containers under said chambers, a rotary series of liquid measuring chambers disposed inwardly of the annular series of bulk measuring cham- Here, a common supply receptacle for said liquid measuring chambers, and valve means for controlling flow of material through said chambers.

9. A filling machine including an annular series of bulk measuring chambers, an annular common supply receptacle for said chambers, means for positioning containersunder said chambers, a series of liquid measuring chambers disposed inwardly of the annular series of bulk measuring chambers and arranged to discharge into containers disposed under the bulk measuring chambers, and a common supply receptacle for said liquid measuring chambers disposed within the first named annular common supply receptacle.

10. A filling machine including an annular. rotating receptacle having a series of discharge portions, a work supporting table disposed under said discharge portions, a second receptacle disposed within said annular receptacle, a series of measuring chambers disposed under and communicating with said second receptacle, a shaft extending upwardly from the table through the second receptacle, pistons in said measuring chambers, stems extending upwardly from said pistons through the second receptacle, and means adjustably carried by the upper portion of said shaft and connected with the piston stems for holding said pistons to adjustably measure the contents of said measuring chamber.

11. A filling machine including a main support, an upwardly extending non-rotating shaft carried by the support, means for vertically adjusting said shaft, a rotary table disposed about the lower portion of the shaft, a container rotatable on the up per portion of the shaft and supported by the shaft, upper measuring chamber sections carried byv and depending from said container, lower measuring chamber sections co-operating with said upper chamber sections, and means carried by the table for adjustably'supporting said lower sections, and means controlling the flow of work material through said measuring chamber sections.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Mobile, in the county of Mobile and State of Alabama.

CLARENCE F. COLBERT. 

